Marital quality and relationship satisfaction in war veterans and their wives in Bosnia and Herzegovina

BACKGROUND: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in war veterans and its complex emotional and behavioral characteristics affect veterans’ partners and the quality of their relationships. Although most research focuses on the effects of veterans’ PTSD on their partners/wives and their relationships, not many findings have been established on partner adjustment and marriage quality when wives suffer from PTSD as well. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the research was to examine the relationship between war-related posttraumatic stress symptoms and partner's marital satisfaction in couples where one or both partners suffer from PTSD. DESIGN: The Harvard Trauma Questionnaire and Dyadic Adjustment Scale encompassed 154 war veterans and their wives who had been treated at Mostar Clinical Hospital in Bosnia and Herzegovina for combat-related PTSD as well as 77 veterans who did not suffer from PTSD and their wives. RESULTS: Veterans’ PTSD is related to lower levels of marital adjustment of their wives. Marital adjustment was significantly lower in couples where both partners had PTSD compared with couples where only the veteran had PTSD or neither partner had PTSD. Female partner's marital adjustment is best explained by his avoidance symptoms and her own level of depressiveness and re-experiencing symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: The results highlight the importance of recognizing PTSD in wives of traumatized veterans as well as the importance of family approach in the treatment of PTSD.